Smart Growth Summit
Across the nation, there is a growing concern that current development patterns – some call “sprawl” – are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, existing suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.
APPROACH
The Smart Growth Summit – an annual convening in downtown Baton Rouge of elected officials, engaged citizens and local, national, and international experts in community planning and growth – began in 2003 as a way to stimulate discussion on the need for sound planning in Louisiana. The Smart Growth Summit has become the premier event for promoting quality planning and design in Louisiana, following CPEX’s mission to make all Louisiana communities economically vibrant and extraordinary places to build a career, raise a family, and enjoy a high quality of life.
PLANNING
The Smart Growth Summit’s discussions highlight the Smart Growth Principles outlined below:
• Create a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices
• Create Walkable Neighborhoods
• Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration
• Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place
• Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective
• Mix Land Uses
• Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty and Critical Environmental Areas
• Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices
• Strengthen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities
• Take Advantage of Compact Building Design
Topics of discussion from past Summits have included: disaster response and dealing with the oil leak, neighborhood revitalization, alternative forms of energy, transit-oriented development, healthy communities, green construction, coastal planning, progress made since the 2005 hurricanes and mobility and transportation in Louisiana.
The 2011 Summit will be held August 17 – 19, 2011 at the Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. For more information on, visit summit.cpex.org.
OUTCOMES
- Over 800 participants attended the 2010 Smart Growth Summit
- Thirty-five parishes were represented at the 2010 Smart Growth Summit as well as attendees from Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Washington DC, and Canada
